Pencil crayon

A young fourth grader named Dylan shared his finished White House drawing with me today. Doesn’t the neatness and precision take your breath away? I think he should just go on a fast track to architect school, but that’s just me. Meanwhile, for those that are interested, it was made with colored … Read More

I’d like to share this sample of student work from a fourth grade class today. I think the drawing guides from my California Mission Book and the brown graph paper are a powerful combination that bring out the best in what students are able to do each year. They never fail to … Read More

My students have drawn lots of traditional American style homes, so now I’d like them to try something different. Specifically, Amsterdam style buildings. They have very different profiles and details, not to mention water canal surroundings. Here’s a tutorial that includes many of these details, without getting too intricate. • View and … Read More

Here’s a creative exercise that could be saved as a Valentine card, if everything goes well. Try printing my sample pdf below, fold it in half and have students create a face to go behind the glasses. Could be boy or girl or cat or dog – who knows? I just know … Read More

I had so much fun watching all these faces come to life in my Cartoon Class this afternoon. I saw many students, from kinder through 5th grade, make drawings full of character and charm. Every week I’m loving more and more how the funky cartoon distortions of things are a great match … Read More

These glowing cat eyes are made from blending a few layers of pencil crayons. White on the bottom, then yellow, and for those interested in more detail, a bit of brown. Please note though, that the average pencil crayon and black construction paper won’t deliver these results. The projects works best on … Read More

I believe that many students are starting off the year with classroom projects about themselves. I thought this lesson plan that I created last last year might be useful for teachers that may have missed it the first time around. The tessellation that the students make for their drawing also applies to … Read More

I’m trying to encourage my students to do more doodle drawing, which I define as just very simple shapes that may be random or may make a picture. The goal is simply for them to have fun, and work independently. I’m not against helping someone who is struggling, but some students turn … Read More

Not everyone has access to real fall leafs for some finish-the-shape drawing practice. I’ve created a book of templates so that anyone can try this all year round. Both sides of the leaves are included so that lefties can easily work too. This book is now available for purchase and download in … Read More

It turns out that a young Ornithomimus only had “dino fuzz”, while the adults grew actual feathers. How cool is that? To download my pdf tutorial file, just click on the link below. • Ornithomimus Tutorial Download

Mastodons are an extinct group of mammal species, closely related to elephants. They look a lot like mammoths, they just have shorter legs, a longer body and more muscles. • View and download Mastodon Tutorial

Technically speaking, I learned that a Plesiosaurus is often mistakenly referred to as a dinosaur, when in fact it is a prehistoric marine reptile, which lived at the same time as the dinosaurs. Now there’s some trivia to stump your friends with. • View and download Plesiosaurus Tutorial

Dragon heads can get rather complicated, what with all the horns and spikes and things. I made this drawing in an effort to simplify it as much as possible, without losing cool dragon features. • View and download Purple Dragon Head Tutorial

The Ankylosaurus was a big dinosaur that featured huge plates of body armor to protect itself from attackers. Follow my tutorial to draw one like you see here. • View and download Ankylosaurus Tutorial

Here’s project that asks students to see themselves in a very abstract way, and creates a colorful display most teachers appreciate for their classrooms. Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser had an amazing life, along with a very appealing style of abstract drawing. Click here to read more about him. 1. Start with a … Read More

My students have often asked me how to draw a dragon, so I put together this tutorial. I think it’s only fair to add a disclaimer that irregular curvy lines are trickier to draw than straight symmetrical ones. So if your young child struggles with this, I would praise their efforts and … Read More

Pterodactyls are the world’s most familiar pterosaurs, or flying reptiles. The largest species attained wingspans of up to 30 feet, much larger than any flying birds alive today. • View and download Pterodactyl Tutorial

Did you know that the Spinosaurus was larger than the Tyrannosaurus Rex and may have been the largest carnivorous (meat eating) dinosaur ever? Here’s how to draw one of these creatures. • View and download Spinosaurus Tutorial

Here’s one way to draw a Diplodocus, or Long Neck, if you are a Land Before Time fan. It’s the best way I know to fill the paper with one of the world’s l-o-n-g-e-s-t animals. • View and download Diplodocus Tutorial

I used two laws of perspective to help give this drawing some depth. With distance, similar shapes appear to get smaller, and colors in general get lighter. 1. Draw a border around the edge. Add a horizon line about 2/3 down the page. Draw a road and trees that got smaller and … Read More

I was inspired to create this bear drawing from a diagram at Appalachian Bear Rescue. I altered their instructions a bit to make the bear symmetrical, which is easier for those just learning how to draw. 1. The students fold their drawing paper in half in both directions, crease and open again. … Read More

This project was inspired by a New Jersey middle school posting. Drawing just the top face allows a focus on the eyes, and the beginning of a school year is a good time to declare goals. I’m including a letter-size template that I recommend printing on cardstock. • View and download Goals … Read More

This project was inspired by a New Jersey middle school posting. Drawing just the top face allows a focus on the eyes, and the beginning of a school year is a good time to declare goals. I’m including a letter-size template that I recommend printing on cardstock. • View and download Goals … Read More